


take a sip of my secret potion

by mincuca



Category: Little Mix (Band), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, OT4 Focus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 15:28:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4751462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mincuca/pseuds/mincuca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We should do something for them," Perrie states, a grin seeping onto her face as an idea develops in her mind. "A little magic won't hurt anyone, will it?" </p>
<p>The girls look back at her with knowing smiles, nodding their heads quickly in agreement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	take a sip of my secret potion

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Phoebus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebus/gifts).



> For the prompt: "fantasy/magical realism. the girls are in a coven". 
> 
> I honestly do hope this is what you wanted. I tried my best to go with what you asked for and I really, really hope you like this. This is unbetaed so any mistakes made are all mine. 
> 
> The title is from Little Mix's song "Black Magic".

The pot boils, steam rising into the air and alerting the bell above it. Perrie rushes over, wiping sweat off her face and gives one flick of her hand - the fire under the pot flickers brightly before dwindling into a small fire and then burning out completely. The liquid inside is a foggish grey and she grins happily because, according to the old potions book sitting on her overcrowded bookshelf, it should look like that and the potion would work its effects on the drinker without any trouble.

 

She's not the best potion brewer, not a meticulous potions master like Jade is, but she does have a basic knowledge and enough experiences - mostly mishaps - to last a lifetime.

 

Perrie would have asked Jade for help. She really just lives at the cottage next door, but Perrie wanted to try doing this by herself this time. It's a healing potion, one of the more simpler and easiest to make.

 

Just as she reaches for a potion bottle to pour the liquid in, someone knocks on her door. "One moment!" she yells out, wiping her wet hands on the apron around her waist.

 

She moves to the door and opens it. A cloaked figure pulls of her hood, revealing an abundance of curly black hair and dark skin, lips stained red that Perrie knows is from the dye of a plant downriver. She grins brightly, tugging on the person's arm and pulling her inside. "You came just in time, Leigh. I made a healing potion and I need someone to try it."

 

Leigh-Anne groans inwardly, but lets Perrie tug her into the kitchen anyway. "Jade lives right next door, you could've just asked her yourself."

 

Perrie shakes her head. "You're right here, right now. Might as well, hmm?" She grabs a ladle, stirs the liquid in the pot and carefully pours the potion into a bowl instead of a bottle. Potions usually go in bottles to preserve its quality, but it doesn't have to be in one if the drinker is drinking it directly. "And if all goes wrong, you could heal yourself."

 

Leigh-Anne has the ability to heal herself naturally, without any potion. Rumors all over the realm say that witches who can heal themselves can heal others as well. There was a time when Perrie had accidentally burned her hand (one of the many, many potion mishaps) and Leigh-Anne was there, holding her hand gently. Perrie had felt a warmness and tingling sensation from where Leigh's fingers touched her, but nothing happened. She resorted to Jade's homemade remedies to heal the burn while Leigh-Anne stood there pouting and wondering why she couldn't heal others.

 

"Fine. Will a cut on my hand suffice?" Leigh-Anne asks.

 

Perrie nods and turns around with the bowl. She watches Leigh-Anne flick her right index finger up quickly above her left palm. She hisses slightly at the pain as a light clean cut appears in the middle of her palm, blood seeping out of the wound slowly.

 

Leigh-Anne's power has a much more darker side to it. She is one of the few witches ever to be able to cause pain to herself and to others. This part of her power is quite dangerous, and if it was in the wrong hands, chaos would spread throughout the realm. Fortunately, (and as far as Perrie knows) Leigh doesn't have any bad intentions at all.

 

"Don't think I'll ever get used to that. It's different when you accidentally cut yourself versus purposely doing it _to_ yourself," Leigh-Anne says as she grabs a cloth from the countertop, dabbing away the blood trickling down her palm.

 

"Hopefully this will work." Perrie brings the bowl to Leigh-Anne's lips, tilting it back slowly so the liquid won't drop down her chin. She takes the bowl away once it's empty, carefully watching Leigh-Anne's hand to see if anything changes.

 

Slowly, a soft golden glow develops and the cut heals itself over, leaving no trace of a wound being there in the first place. Perrie grins to herself, mentally patting herself on the back for her handiwork.

 

"Great job Pez!" Leigh praises her, pulling Perrie into her side and smacking a kiss to her forehead. Perrie laughs, cheeks reddening at the compliment, and tries to squirm away from her embrace. "I think Jade will be impressed."

 

"Oh well, hard to please that one, bloody perfectionist," Perrie rolls her eyes. Getting Jade's praise for potion making is rare and only happens every so often.

 

"Aren't you a bit of one as well? You always complain whenever you can't change into another animal _perfectly_ ," Leigh-Anne points out, air quoting the last word with a smirk.

 

''Metamorphosis is much more complex than potion making, Leigh. It takes intense concentration and self discipline-"

 

"Which you don't have at all," Leigh-Anne snorts and Perrie shoves her playfully.

 

"I do when it comes to this and you know it."

 

Metamorphosis isn't easy, but it's a power that she was born with and she's been mastering it her entire life. So far, she's nearly there and can practically transform into any animal without any faulty mishaps, like a missing limb or having a human nose instead of a dog's.

 

"That is true. Unexpected, but very much true."

 

Perrie shakes head head fondly and flings a cloth at Leigh-Anne. They settle into a familiar cleaning routine: wiping down the table, throwing out scraps, shelving unused ingredients for further use.

 

A scream sounds suddenly from outside. Perrie flinches, fumbling with the jar of goat’s feet in her hands. Leigh-Anne though, she yelps, dropping the broomstick and the dustpan on the floor, dust flying everywhere and covering the once clean surfaces.

 

"Do you think that's -" Perrie starts but she's cut off when the front door bangs open.

 

Covered in mud from head to toe, Jesy stomps into the small cottage, leaving mud tracks in her wake. It's a bizarre image to see, considering Jesy is the cleanest out of the four of them, taking baths everyday and smelling like fresh flowers from the nearby river. She's also extremely fussy about being hygienic, even berating the girls when they've got smudges of dirt on their clothes or faces.

 

Jesy just glares pointedly in front of her, ringing her cloak and hands of the dirt so the mud splatters all over the place. "Bloody Perrie and her transformations, I swear I will cast a spell on her and she won't even -"

 

Perrie clears her throat loudly and Jesy turns in her direction, clearly taken aback to see Perrie's presence. Her face softens, shoulders untensing.  "Oh Pez, you know I didn't mean it. I thought you transformed into a big dog and wanted to scare me again. I'm sorry."

 

Perrie waves her off and walks over to her. "Let's get you clean. How did this happen anyway?"

 

"I was walking over and this big dog comes out of nowhere. It frightened me and I stumbled back into a pile of fresh mud. Thought it was you," Jesy mumbles as Perrie picks apart her wet clothing. Jesy pats her hands away. "Here, I can do it."

 

Jesy snaps her fingers, her body glowing a light blue before all the dirt and mud disappears from her face and clothes. Her face comes clean, tan cheeks and distinct cheekbones. She sighs contently. "Much better."

 

They can all cast spells, but only common useful ones, like lighting a fire or retrieving a book from across the room, whereas Jesy can recite any spell at the top of her head, or even make a simple motion with her hands without saying the spell aloud. To be exact, Jesy's the best at charms out of the four of them.   
  


"Perrie's made a potion Jess. A good one too," Leigh-Anne states, leaning on the broomstick with her chin resting on the top.

 

Jesy's eyes widen in surprise, maybe even pride too, and she smiles widely. "Oh really?"

 

Perrie feels her cheeks redden slightly with embarrassment because she's not used to this amount of praise, but she sticks her chin up high with a grin. "Mhm. Quite proud of myself."

 

Jesy gives her a softer smile this time, moving towards Perrie and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her arm tightly as if she was saying "you should be". They're all affectionate with each other, ever since the beginning when they met at the witch coven gathering ages ago. But with Jesy, there was always this certain fondness that they had for one another.

 

Perrie leans into her touch, savoring her warmth for a moment before Leigh-Anne coughs. Perrie lifts head off of Jesy's shoulder, quirking an eyebrow back at Leigh-Anne.

 

Leigh-Anne gestures her arms wide, indicating the still untidy kitchen. "I don't think any of us really want to clean this mess. Jesy, may you do the honors?"

 

"My pleasure." She waves her hand. Pots and jars fly carefully back into their original spots in the cabinets; spilled dust from Leigh-Anne's dustpan clear away, leaving the surfaces spotless. The kitchen becomes clean in just a few moments.

 

Leigh-Anne whistles lowly. "I love you Jesy. This saves so much time."

 

"Not like you would have cleaned up anyway," Perrie teases her. She made more progress than Leigh-Anne had before Jesy arrived.

 

Leigh-Anne opens her mouth for a counterargument, only to get cut off by a set of patterned knocks on the door. It's Jade's secret code - why she even has a code, Perrie doesn't know, but she thinks it's just Jade's polite way to let them know she's here.

 

"Come in!" Perrie shouts.

 

Jade walks in, holding a basket of fresh baked goods in one hand, a bounty of flowers in the other."Did you know that Liam is back in town? That handsome baker who always gives me a discount on his pastries?" She lifts her basket for emphasis and the others nod. Of course they know Liam, Zayn (Perrie's best non-magical friend) comes over weekly and gushes to them about Liam all the time. "He gave them to me for free this time. I think he forgot to ask me to pay."

 

"Why's that?" Perrie, Jesy, and Leigh-Anne ask in unison.

 

"He saw Zayn outside the bakery and had this _look_ in his eyes, a complete dazed look," Jade giggles. "When I went outside, Zayn had this," she lifted the flowers, "and he was going to give them to Liam as a welcome back gift, but he got scared and gave them to me instead. Those two are so smitten with each other, but they just won't do anything about it." She sighs dramatically, setting down her items.

 

Perrie's endured enough confessions from Zayn (some that Perrie wished he hadn't shared with her but he was drunk and didn't remember it the next day) to know that he's completely in love with Liam. She's been out to the market square with him on one occasion, watched Zayn stutter through his words while talking to Liam, who blushed back at him madly. It was an awkward situation for Perrie herself, but it was so obvious they fancied each other.

 

It was worse when Zayn showed up at her house last week when Liam was away. The girls were around as well and had to witness him brooding and sulking. Perrie nearly begged Jesy to put a silence charm on him so they didn’t have to hear him go on and on about Liam.

 

"We should do something for them," Perrie states, a grin seeping onto her face as an idea develops in her mind. "A little magic won't hurt anyone, will it?"

 

The girls look back at her with knowing smiles, nodding their heads quickly in agreement.

 

***  
  


"Jess careful!" Jade yells across the room at the other girl who's carrying a stack of potion bottles (freshly shipped from another coven miles away). Jade's in the kitchen, mixing ingredients as the cauldron near her lets off steam that makes the air foggy. Perrie wants to help her because every few seconds, Jade lets out a loud exasperated sigh and wipes her sweaty forehead, but Jade had _banished_ her from assisting her in making the potion.

 

Perrie sighs and twiddles with a loose thread on her dress. She watches Jesy swear at the bottles jostling around in her arms before muttering an incantation, the bottles levitating in the air and floating around her as she walks to Jade.

Leigh-Anne sits across from Perrie, reading an old book about witches. Perrie can only guess that she's trying to learn more about her healing powers, by the signature scrunch of Leigh-Anne’s nose and the creases on her forehead that she only gets when she’s deep in concentration and confused by something that she _wants_ to understand. Perrie’s seen that look enough times over the years, something that she’s always hated seeing. She just wants to reach over, tangle her fingers in Leigh-Anne’s curls, brush her lips to her forehead until Leigh-Anne relaxes into her touch. She doesn’t though, doesn’t want to disturb her study and thought process.

 

She once did, back when the four of them first met at the local coven. Two girls, slightly standing out with their colorful outfits and their even more colorful hair, were conversing (rather closely, their sides pressed against each other) animatedly in one corner. She had approached them cautiously, mainly because they seemed very kind (and because the gathering was filled with witches well into their old ages with wrinkles and graying hair, while Perrie and the other two girls were relatively young).

 

Perrie introduced herself to the girls, a bit shy in her movements, but the smaller girl with dark red hair - _Jade_ \-  just pulled her into a hug as if they were friends for a long time. The other girl, _Jesy_ , was more wary, not quite open as Jade was, but she too hugged Perrie tightly.

 

"Have you seen our dear friend, Leigh-Anne Pinnock? She's wearing a bright orange cloak today. I told her it was a horrid color, but she didn't believe me," Jesy stated bluntly, earning a nudge in the stomach and a glare by Jade.

 

"Be nice Jessica," Jade seethed. Jesy rolled her eyes in response. "Leigh might have gotten lost when she got in. It's always easy to lose her in a crowd."

 

"Fortunately she's wearing an orange cloak. She'll be easy to find now," Perrie joked. She's only just met them and she's already feeling at ease with the other two girls, making silly banter about someone she hasn't met yet. She felt much more confident when the other two laughed at her comment.

 

"She'll turn up soon. It's better if we wait here for her to find us rather than we go and find her," Jade said. She leaned her head on Jesy's shoulder, Jesy's arm going around her waist and pulling the smaller girl closer to her chest.

 

Perrie thought they were together, from the way Jade's head rested comfortably on Jesy's chest, and the way Jesy hummed quietly to herself, squeezing Jade's waist a few times. Perrie felt like she was intruding on them, this side of intimacy that was only for them and not for her to see.

 

(Only after a few months together, in their little group of four, did she realize the small intimate touches between them were all affectionate, fond,  friendly even. She never had that with any of her other friends before, where they’d grab each other’s hands and walked to the market together, or laid on top of each other with their bare legs touching, whispering late in the dark. It alarmed her at first, but she grew used to it quickly.)

 

She didn't want to interrupt their little cuddle, but she couldn't stand there and be the third wheel.  "Do you want any drinks? Pumpkin wine perhaps?"

 

They nodded. "Thanks love." Jesy winked at her, causing Perrie to duck her head shyly and walk away.

 

She maneuvered through the crowd, shaking her head kindly to the witches selling their products at the various stalls. Some sold handsewn dresses meant for witches who had certain powers that needed specifically designed clothes. Others sold special concoctions that weren't found in any potions book. She passed by more stalls, items flying to and fro between people, gold coins clanging in pockets as people shouted out prices.

 

She reached the bar, the crowd thinner and quieter here. She asked the bartender for three goblets of pumpkin wine, and sat down next to a girl with curly black hair. The other girl had a large book open in front of her, a hand resting under her chin as she read the text. Her eyebrows furrowed even more as she turned to the next page.

 

Perrie noticed that she was wearing an orange - _bright_ orange - cloak (Jesy wasn't lying, it really was a horrid color). She asked timidly, “Leigh-Anne Pinnock?”

 

The girl flinched at the sound of her name, hand slipping out from under her, nearly falling off her stool. She glared a bit at Perrie for disturbing her and breaking her concentration. “Can I help you?”

 

Perrie chewed her lip. “Do you know Jesy and Jade?”

 

Leigh-Anne gave her a puzzled look, eyes narrowing to near slits. “Yes. Why do you ask?”   
  
“They’ve been looking for you.”   
  


“Oh,” Leigh-Anne’s shoulders relaxed. “I thought you were sent here to inform me that something bad had happened to them.”   
  
Perrie shook her head. “No, not at all.”   
  
“How do you know them?” Leigh-Anne’s body turned more towards her, giving Perrie her full attention. Her lips quirk up into a grin.

 

“I’ve only just met them. They were the first ones I saw when I came here,” Perrie stated. She realized she hadn’t introduced herself yet. She stuck her hand out. “My name is Perrie.”

 

Leigh-Anne ignored her hand and pulled her into a hug. Perrie assumed it was just a friendly thing the other girls did whenever they met someone (she was right). “Leigh-Anne. Well, you already know that.”

 

When they broke apart, the bartender came back with the drinks, and an additional one for Leigh-Anne who had ordered before her. Perrie laid down a few coins on the table, grabbed two cups while Leigh-Anne grabbed the hers and the other one. They walked back to Jade and Jesy, chattering idly and trying not to spill the drinks (unfortunately, they had, when Leigh-Anne told her a particularly funny story about the time she had bumped into a nobleman and yelled at him ruthlessly before she realized he was of higher status. They were glared at by the older witches for making a mess on the floor, but with a simple charm, the puddle dried up and disappeared.)

 

The four of them were inseparable after that, have been attached at the hip for several years now. They know each others' strengths and weaknesses, knows one another like the back of their hands, and Perrie just knows Leigh-Anne wouldn't appreciate it if Perrie bothered her when she was reading.

 

Perrie fidgets in her seat. She wants to do something rather than sit and wait for Jade to finish the potion. She gets up and puts on her cloak. "I'm going to visit Zayn."

 

"Be back by supper!" Jesy shouts just as Jade says, "Don't tell him anything!"

 

***

 

She takes the shortest route to Zayn's house - meaning, she transformed into a dog, running through the forest until she reached Zayn's in a few minutes. She transforms back, smoothing down her dress and gave three short knocks on his door. "Zayn! It's Pez!"

 

"In the back!" She hears him call out.

 

She walks around to the back garden where’s he’s squatting down, elbows deep in the soil. His garden is massive and quite impressive, ranging from tall apple trees to red roses, with a small pond filled with lotus flowers. Zayn’s a florist and he sells his homegrown flowers at the market. He often asks Perrie to come over and help him pick and water his plants, which she does, only that she speeds up the whole process by casting a spell. Zayn always frowns and crosses his arms when she does that, but she knows he’s secretly pleased because it shortens the time it takes to handpick and make flower arrangements. Which means he gets to spend more time sitting at his shop, ogling Liam while he works in the bakery.

 

“I heard you bumped into Jade today,” she says, staring down at Zayn who stops working and glances up at her.

 

“Oh. I did.” He glances back down and continues working, digging deeper into a hole he’s made.

 

“You gave her flowers. Were they roses? I don’t remember.” Jade had lilies actually, but Perrie wants to see if Zayn notices and -

 

“No, they were lilies. They’re Liam’s favorite,” Zayn says. “And before you say anything, I know you intended for me to admit that.”

 

Perrie blinks. Of course he would notice. “Well, you’re right. I did intend for you to admit that."

 

Zayn sighs and drops the shovel into the hole, standing up and wiping his dirty hands on his apron. "I've missed him for the past week. I didn't think I would be so sad and grumpy, and I know you asked Jesy to put a silence charm on me." Perrie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I wouldn't put it past you. I would put a silence charm on myself too."

 

She grabs his hands, despite the dirtiness, and forces him to look at her. "Don't apologize. It was quite horrible to see you like that, but it's understandable." She hesitates, wondering if she should ask him the next bit. She decides she might as well say it. "Do you love him, Zayn?"

 

His cheeks flush and he chews on his bottom lip, deliberately avoiding Perrie's eyes. "Yea," he lets out softly, barely audible if Perrie wasn't so close to him.

 

"Yea? Then why didn't you tell him today? You seemed ready to court him and all."

 

"I was really nervous. He's absolutely gorgeous Pez, I was like, blinded by his beauty or something cliche like that. And I saw him smile at Jade while handing over the basket. Have I ever told you about his smile?"

 

Perrie nods. She's heard about it plenty of times.

 

"Yeah well, I wanted to go in, say hello and hand him these flowers, but I couldn't. I panicked and wondered if he would reject me, so I didn't go in. Jade came out and I chatted with her for a bit and she asked me about the flowers, but I think she already knew who they were for. I just gave them to her instead," Zayn explains. He sighs again.

 

"Do you really think that? Do you really think he would say no to you?" Perrie asks exasperatedly. She's quite tired of these two shyly skirting around each other. "Zayn, he fancies the _bits_ out of you. I've seen him look at you like you hung the moon and painted the stars."

 

Zayn blushes even more. "Has he? I have never noticed."

 

Perrie snorts. "Might be because you're too busy staring at his arms and looking at him like he's the sun." He laughs, and she nudges his shoulder gently. "Court him."

 

"I want to, yea? I really do." He lets go of her hands and kneels back down on the ground next to his hole. He puts some seeds in there and repacks the soil on top of it. "Someday, maybe."

 

_Someday may be tomorrow_ , Perrie thinks to herself.

 

***  

 

Perrie returns home before supper, ready to eat and spend some time with her girls, only to find them passed out and snuggled close together on the large bed. She can't help but smile at them, pulling the blanket up to their chins.

 

She goes to the kitchen to make something herself, and perhaps make set aside food for the girls if they wake up. Jade's pot is put away, and several potion filled bottles line up on the kitchen countertop. The liquid is golden; the potion was made perfectly.

 

As she cuts up a carrot, Perrie reconsiders her options. Originally, the plan was that she was going to add a little of the potion (a confidence potion; Jade had suggested she make a love potion but Jesy had pointed out it wouldn't work because they were already in love) to his drink so he could have the courage to tell Liam his feelings.

 

But then she realized that's almost like betraying Zayn's trust, and she couldn't do that; not ever, no matter what.

 

She decides on a new course of action, and hopefully, it'll go well.

 

***

 

The four of them take the trip to the marketplace, their arms hooked together in pairs, Leigh-Anne and Jade in front of Jesy and Perrie. Normally, Perrie would be engaging in conversation, but this time her attention is completely somewhere else.

 

The potion sits in her pocket, banging against her leg with every step. It's small, light bottle, yet it feels much heavier than it is. She feels anxiety creep up on her, heart beating rapidly, and she doesn't know why she's so nervous. This was her idea, was it not?

 

"You're awfully quiet today," Jesy says quietly, just for the two of them to hear.

 

"I'm having second thoughts," Perrie admits. "Is it wrong to do this?"

 

Jesy stays silent for a bit, the only sounds coming from Leigh-Anne and Jade's conversation, and the crunching off their feet on the dirt road. "I wouldn't say so. It's not the most ideal, but we're not going against anything, are we?" Jesy reasons, but it still doesn't lessen Perrie's concerns.

 

"Your plan _will_ work, Perrie. Please don't worry," Jesy reassures. She even pulls Perrie close to her,rubbing her arm warmly until the blonde curls into her side, the stress leaving her bones.

 

They reach the marketplace sooner than Perrie expects. She feels much calmer than she was before, but her hands still shake nervously as they approach Zayn's flower shop. He hasn't noticed them yet, too busy rearranging the flowers around in his display box.

 

"You can do this," Jesy whispers to her, squeezing her hand gently.

 

"Maybe you should drink the potion yourself," Leigh-Anne jokes, and Jade reprimands her with a slap to the arm. Leigh-Anne yelps, pouting slightly at Jade who glares back.

 

"Will you two stop it?" Jesy scolds them and the other two do indeed stop.

 

For some reason, that's enough to calm Perrie down. Maybe because it's a common occurrence that often happens between them, bringing a sense of normalcy to her situation.

 

"I'm going now," she announces, reaching into her pocket for the potion.

 

The others nod and move off to the side so they're able to watch and hear the exchange without being seen.

 

Perrie knows Zayn's morning routine: he opens his shop, lays out his bouquets out front, and then goes to Liam's bakery for a goblet of water (which really is an excuse to see him). She sees that he already has gone to Liam's, the goblet sitting there on the table.

 

"Morning, Zayn," she greets.

 

He turns around, clearly surprised to see her there. She never comes this early to the marketplace unless she's with the other girls, and they're currently not with her. "Morning... Strange seeing you here. Have you come alone?"

 

"No, the others have gone to buy parchment and quills. Thought I'd come here and sit with you until they finished," she says. She doesn't think she's a very good liar, but it seems like Zayn believes her as he pulls out an extra chair beside him.

 

"I would have thought you'd stay at home instead of coming out with them this early," he teases.

 

"I would have thought you'd tell Liam you're in love with by now, but you haven't," she teases back, watching him blush.

 

"We both know why and how that hasn't happened yet," he mutters under his breath.

 

"Fortunately, your favorite witches were kind enough to make you a special little gift." She lays the potion bottle on the table.

 

Zayn’s eyes widen at it. He opens his mouth slowly. “What is that?”   
  
“I think we both know the answer to that,” she winks cheekily at him. "Since you're only human, you can't drink the whole bottle." He already knows that due to the many instances he had accidentally cut his finger while picking his flowers and she had to give him a healing potion. "But I will give you a few droplets and it will be equally effective."

 

"Well I know what it _is_ , but I meant what it is _of_." He holds the bottle, putting it up to the sun and examines it.

 

She snatches it back, twists open the bottle cap, and grabs his goblet. "Confidence potion. It's definitely what you need to tell Liam."

 

"Pez, I-" but he cuts off when the other girls show up, just like how Perrie had told them to do. They're here to distract him as she does her part. Everything is going according to plan.

 

"Hello Zayn," they greet him.

 

"Do you think today will be the lucky day?" Jade arches an eyebrow at him, turning her head towards Liam's bakery.

 

"I mean," Zayn starts. He glances back at Perrie, who is tucking the potion bottle back into her pocket while swirling his cup in her other hand. She grins at him and gently puts the cup back down in front of him. "Yes." He drinks it quickly before pushing out of his seat, marching proudly over to Liam's.

 

"I think it's working," Leigh-Anne says as they watch their exchange.

 

It's a fairly short exchange, and Perrie thinks Zayn went straight to the point and declared his love for Liam the moment he walked in. Liam squeals happily, and he nearly jumps into Zayn's arms in happiness.

 

"It definitely worked," Jesy chuckles while Jade squeals as well.

 

Zayn and Liam walk out to meet them, hand in hand, both with the biggest grins Perrie's ever seen. The girls clap and whistle, causing the two boys' cheeks to flush in embarrassment.

 

"Well, look at the lovebirds," Perrie teases them.  "I can already imagine the wedding."

 

"Actually," Liam ducks his head and rubs the back of his neck. "Zayn asked me to marry him. I said yes."

 

The girls' jaws drop. Jade's the first one to recover and she squeals again, pulling Liam into a tight hug. Leigh-Anne and Jesy join them, already discussing wedding plans and details with him.

 

Perrie shuffles over to Zayn, tugging him into a bone-crushing hug of their own. "Congratulations! I did not expect that to happen."

 

"Me neither," Zayn says shyly and softly. "It just... happened. I confessed to him and the next thing I know, I've proposed to him." Zayn pulls away slightly enough to look at Liam surrounded by the girls. "Your potion was an absolute charm. I'll have to thank Jade."

 

"Actually," and it's Perrie's turn to be shy. "I never gave you that potion."

 

Zayn jerks back, but holds onto Perrie's elbows at arms distance. "What?"

 

"I pretended to give you it. I never put anything in your drink. That was all you Zaynie."

 

Zayn shoves her back playfully. "That was a cruel thing to do Miss Edwards."

 

She laughs and wraps her arm around Zayn. "Did the job, didn't it?"

 

He nods. "It did."

 

***

 

It’s been a few weeks since the day Zayn proposed to Liam. Perrie’s becoming annoyed with the amount of times Zayn’s asked her about wedding plans - what flowers to use (“Zayn, you have a variety at your own home, you can decide for yourself.”), when the date should be, what kind of cake they should have and who should make it ("Have you forgotten your _fiance_ is a baker?").

 

Perrie just told him to talk to Jade about it, for she's the one who's best at planning absolutely _anything_. As much as Perrie loves him, she needs her moments away from her best friend.

 

She washes her grimy floor, one that hasn't been cleaned in who knows long, probably ages. She forgoes using a spell this time because she really is looking for an excuse to avoid Zayn and his pestering plans.

 

She scrubs at a spot under the bookshelf, but she immediately retracts her hand away when something scrapes the top of her hand. She sucks in a breath when she sees a long diagonal cut, blood flowing steadily and dripping to the floor. She looks under the bookshelf to see what caused her injury, and she bloody curses at the loose hangnail there.

 

She washes her hand quickly, wincing at the pain. She looks at the potions shelf, scanning for any healing potions, but they're all out. Jade hasn't brewed any new batches because she's too busy helping Zayn and Liam.

 

The front door creaks open. Leigh-Anne walks through it, holding a pile of their freshly washed clean clothes. "Leigh! Come here! I need your help."

 

Leigh-Anne takes one look at Perrie and she drops the clothes unceremoniously on the floor. "What did you do?"

 

"Cleaning. The usual," Perrie explains. The wound hasn't stopped bleeding. "Can you grab some bandages?"

 

Leigh-Anne ignores her request and takes her hand gently in hers. Perrie's confused when Leigh-Anne lays her other palm on top of the cut. "Wait, what are you-"

 

"Shh, I think I know how to do it now," she says. She closes her eyes and steadies her breathing.

 

Perrie feels a slight tingling on her hand. She looks down to see their hands glow a golden yellow, warmth flooding from Leigh-Anne's fingers to hers. Soon enough, Leigh-Anne removes her hand, revealing Perrie's now healed hand, no trace of the cut whatsoever. They both gasp in astonishment.

 

"Leigh-Anne... do you know what this means?" Perrie asks.

 

There's awe in her voice when she speaks. "I can heal others..." She looks at Perrie, clutching her shoulders and shaking her. "I can heal others!"

 

Leigh-Anne bounces on her toes happily, hugging Perrie and swaying them from side to side. "I can heal others! This is amazing!"

 

"I am so proud of you, Leigh. So proud," Perrie says.  For the past few years, she's seen Leigh-Anne struggle to understand her powers. And now, despite it being a new skill she's acquired, she's one step closer to become a skilled master, just like all of them.

 

They don't notice Jesy and Jade enter the house until Jesy asks them what happened.

 

Leigh-Anne turns around in Perrie's arms. "I can heal others!" Perrie sticks her hand out as Leigh-Anne explains quickly to them. The two girls crowd them into a big hug after that, squeezing tightly until it was hard for them to breathe.

 

"Good thing Zayn and I went wine tasting today," Jade says in their small circle. "I brought back some lovely wine and I think this calls for a little celebration."

 

By midnight that night, they're giddy and loose, having drunk the whole bottle of wine. They cuddle together on Perrie's large bed, limbs tangled together in different positions that will hurt in the morning. It's a little too warm for Perrie's taste, but she doesn't mind one bit, not when they're practically her whole world and she doesn't know what she'll do without them.

 

"I love you girls," she says loudly.

 

She thinks they have fallen asleep by now, so she doesn't expect when they reply back, each mumbling their own "I love you too"s. Her heart warms and she smiles to herself.

  
She falls asleep like that, curled up against Jade's back with Jesy behind her and Leigh-Anne lying across their legs. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! And I'm terribly sorry if this bored you to death... but hopefully it didn't. Comments and kudos are lovely and are appreciated! You can find me on [tumblr](jadethirstwall.tumblr.com).


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